The specific educational objective characterising the Degree Course in Medicine and Surgery with technological orientation (MED-IT) is the training of a Medical Doctor with a wealth of expertise strongly enriched through the acquisition of typical engineering knowledge and methodological and technological skills. Graduates in MED-IT will thus be able to face, analyse and solve medical-biological problems with innovative methodologies.
In accordance with this objective, the MED-IT Degree Course is characterised by a balanced vertical and cross integration among:
a) Basic sciences, with a wide spectrum, including the knowledge of evolutionary biology, molecular biology, genetics, and biological complexity. This study aims at acquiring the knowledge of the structure and function of the human organism, in normal conditions, in order to maintain health conditions and to correctly apply the translational scientific research. Among basic sciences, a crucial role is played by subjects such as calculus, physics, chemistry, computer science, and statistics.
b) The knowledge of pathological processes and of the mechanisms that cause them, with specific attention to individual variability and to gender differences, in order also to define prevention, diagnosis and treatment in a targeted manner; under this perspective, the knowledge of the role played by lifestyle, nutrition, and physical activity in the acquisition and maintenance of health status and in the approach to pathologies is also crucial.
c) The clinical and methodological medical practice, which must be particularly solid, based on the extensive use of tutorial-professional teaching.
d) Human sciences, which should be a useful tool to achieve the awareness of being a medical doctor and of the values of the medical profession, and the ethics in doctor-patient relationship.
e) The acquisition of evidence-based scientific, medical, clinical, and professional methodology for individual or collective health issues, with specific attention to the differences among populations and to gender differences, to rare diseases and to the development of new approaches enabling a growing effectiveness of medical care as well as of palliative care and pain therapy.
f) The technologies used in the medical field, necessary for an effective and safe use of equipment and plants, as well as for the training of health technicians and staff. Crucial for this knowledge is the study of computer science, bioinformatics, electromagnetism, electro-technique and applied electronics, automation, sensors and measurements, biomechanics, solid and fluid mechanics for biological systems, as well as basic notions of signal and image processing, neuroscience, as well as the concepts of biocompatibility, regenerative medicine, micro drug delivery and tissue engineering.
g) The always more complex biomedical equipment and plants, aiming at the diagnosis and care of patients, as well as the fundamentals of the most modern biomedical engineering issues.
In synthesis: MED-IT graduates must be able to obtain information by the patient and to interpret them, to make clinical decisions guiding to a correct diagnosis and targeted therapeutic interventions, but also and above all, through the expert use of technologies, to which they have given their contribution during the specific application development. Their decisions must be deduced through the best clinical practices, the correct application of technology and scientific evidence, without forgetting the patient’s needs and of the Healthcare systems of the Country in which they operate. Their clinical practice must be therefore based upon updated knowledge and must be ethical and capable of ensuring an efficient use of the available resources; furthermore, it must be carried out in strict “cooperation-sharing” with the patients and their families and with the other members of the intra-professional/inter-professional work team.
Thanks to the contribution of teachings in the biomedical engineering area, graduates will also be able to solve methodological and technological problems in the physiological and clinical fields, to carry out the analysis and modelling of bio signals and bioimages, medical robotics and computational biomechanics, and to use the relevant medical software supporting diagnostics.
An integral part of the educational programme consists of:
- Professional/qualifying internship, both at the University Hospital and at various local accredited healthcare facilities and hospitals, as well as in the general practitioner clinics accredited by the University, in collaboration with the Province Boards of Medical Doctors, Surgeons and Dentists.
- The mandatory optional educational activities (ADO), allowing the integration of training with the study of subjects related to other areas (both medical and scientific-engineering ones) and with the acquisition of soft skills and knowledge useful for post-graduate training and for placement.
The Course aims at providing a solid educational structure, and stakeholders have agreed upon the usefulness of the professional functions and skills acquired by MED-IT graduates; stakeholders are actively involved in the development process of this Degree Course with respect not only to the educational aspects, but also to the issues related to graduates’ know-how. The opinion of the consulted organisations is seen as very important in this project, aiming at the training of the Medical Doctor with the above-described skills. This with a view to preparing graduates with a profile immediately spendable in the labour market and, at the same time, with solid groundings for any continuation in higher level education.